A Hero's Loss
by A Someday Dreamer
Summary: It as only been a month since the downfall of Ganon, and a month since Midna returned to the Twilight. Link has tried to forget, he honestly has, but he's never been one for breaking bonds. MidLink MidnaxLink LinkxMidna Adventure/Romance/Angst


**AN// Okay first of all before I start off this first chapter I have to say that I am perfectly aware that Link is not mute, and I don't intend to make him one, but I sometimes like to play with the idea that he is, so if he doesn't seem to talk much, don't get to mad, and if you don't like that then fine, but don't flame me for it. Trust me, its happened.**

**Dislcaimer: I do not own Link, or any of the Legend of Zelda characters. Just The Twilight Princess Game (which I beat in two days w) and Zelda Links Awakening for gameboy color.**

…**Link is hot w**

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**Chapter One: Familiarity and Memories**

Fresh air and sunshine blessed the lands of Hyrule on this early summers day, the scent of fresh water and crisp morning air kissed the hero's tanned skin as the soft bladed edges of the long grass swayed in the breeze around his muscle toned calves brushing against his skin almost shyly. He was home, back in Ordon where he belonged. Back with his friends, the village, the mischievous children, and Ilia.

Ilia…the hero closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Another breeze drifts by and pulls a loose strand of hair into his face. He reaches up and brushes it back with his fingertips, calloused he notices, from not only his years working in his farming village, but also from his adventures. He runs his fingers through his hair, opening his eyes and gazing out across the fields and fields of grass and the dozens and dozens of goats grazing on the tender stalks of green. At the barn just across the field he sees some of the children attempting to lift a hay bail. Seeing their fruitless struggle he heads down the hill he had been watching from, and across the field to the children.

"No, no! You're doing it all wrong!"

"Humph! I'd like to see you try lifting this thing Talo!"

"Yeah, why aren't you helping? This was your idea!"

"That's exactly _why _I'm not, I'm already tough, but you guys need training! And this is great for beginners…" The children looked up when they noticed their watcher approach, a small smile on his lips.

'Hiya Link!"

"We were just beginning our training…"

"So that we can get stronger!"

"Strong enough, so that we can go on amazing adventures, just like you!" With a small chuckle and a shake of the head Link reached out and ruffled Talo's hair making the younger boy laugh.

"Just like me huh? Now, why would you want that?"

"Because you're so cool!"

"And strong!"

"And brave!"

"And-"

"Woah, hold on a second there…"

"But!-" but before Talo could get another word out the older boy reached out and poked him in the forehead with just enough force to make him stumble back a few steps.

"Where exactly did you get all of that from? I'm not cool…"

"Yes you are! You are so awesome with your sword, we know we've seen you practicing when Ilia isn't around to fret about your health!" flushing with the embarrassment of having been caught, Link glanced down the hill, and then behind them into the barn to make sure no one had been listening. Scratching a spot on the back of his head Link chuckled nervously.

"Now really guys, anyone can use a sword if they practice long and hard enough…"

"But you were so good at it with barely any training at all!"

"And I'm not _that _strong…"

"Sure you are! You beat that mean dark lord guy just like that hero in the legends from way, way back! And you destroyed all of those horrible monsters all on your own!" Link didn't answer that one, actually he didn't even seem to hear the rest of their praises and ramblings. Of course they would think that, nobody else other than Zelda knew of the existence of the one who made his entire journey possible. Link raised his hand, and the chattering stopped.

"I'm sorry guys, but I just remembered that I have some chores to do…get back to your training, and be careful okay?" looking both put out and utterly disappointed, the children all nodded and waved goodbye, as Link headed down the fields and through the gates back to the village. He hadn't been lying to the kids, he really did have a few chores that he had been putting off…and Epona really could use a bath.

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The Ordon spring was beautiful, the sparkling spring water and the way the sun would filter through the trees and refract off of the waters surface was simply amazing. Taking a step into the glimmering water, Link gently lead Epona in by her reins, tugging ever so slightly guiding her into the water. Link wiggled his toes enjoying the feeling of the cool water against his skin, reaching up to about his knee. He stopped, he looked down and around, then he looked back up at Epona, who just waited patiently for her rider staring down at him. Smiling to himself, Link walked up and removed her saddle, and reins. Placing them on shore, Link returned to Epona's side and began to wash her off, and brush the tangles from her mane and tail.

Epona was such a loyal friend, and had been a huge part of his success with Ganondorf. She had worked so hard, she really did deserve a break. He could remember the way it felt, to fight riding on her back, charging down the enemy no hesitation, no fear a rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins as he took aim with his bow. The way it felt when his sword would tear through an enemy and his arm would throb later from the stress but he could take it, he had to take it. He had to take it so he could save Hyrule, he had to take it to help-

Link shook his head and gripped the brush in his hands and brushed a little harder. He wasn't going to think about it, he wasn't going to think about her, not now, not now that he was settling back into his life, his ordinary life in his simple farming village with his loving, caring friends. He didn't need these thoughts right now…or at all for that matter. He just wanted everything to go back to the way it was before Zant, before the twilight…before her. Leading Epona out of the water Link reattached her reins and lead her back to his home, carrying her saddle with his other hand.

When he finally got home and Epona was resting safely outside, Link sat staring at the ladder that lead down into his basement, and in his basement was a chest…a chest that contained the hero's tunic, the Hylian shield, and the Zora armour that he had received on his journey. Everything that he had carried on him, everything from his iron boots to his half empty bottle of lantern oil was in that chest, and he had hoped that maybe, if he hid away everything that could ever and would ever even have the slightest chance of making him remember, he would simply forget. Well, he was wrong.

His resolve seemed to waver as he remembered the feel of the weight of his sword and shield upon his back, and the feel of the green cotton tunic and light-weight chain mail the familiarity of it all came rushing back as he closed his eyes and remembered the feel of a smaller body leaning against his shoulder, and him glancing down to look into her large, questioning red eye, because it was the only one visible. Her little arms crossed keeping her upright against his shoulder, her little fingers clutching subconsciously to his tunic.

When Link opened his eyes, he was already standing in front of the ladder, and with the last of his resolve gone, Link slid down the ladder, his hands shaking from nerves-or was it excitement?-as he approached the chest. Kneeling down the hero reached out, placing his hands against the cool metal of the lock. Reaching upward for the key on the wall, Link put the key in the lock and turned it. _'Click!' _The lock popped open, and hey dropped both the lock and the key on the floor, and lifted the lid of the chest.

The moment that lid was lifted his senses were assaulted with the sight and scent of adventure, and a warm comfort that spread from the center of his heart all the way through to his fingertips. He reached into the chest and allowed his work calloused fingers to curl around the soft grassy green cloth of his old tunic and lifted it from its confines. It was exactly how he remembered it, and how he missed it. He brought the material to his face and breathed in the lingering scent of the dusty plains of Eldin, and the very faint, but still there smell of Lanryu the lake water fresh and un-tainted. Taking one last deep inhale, Link placed the tunic on his lap, before reaching back in and pulling out his shield. Even in the pale light that emitted from the lantern he had lit when he had come down here it shone, he tilted its surface towards the light and caught his reflection on the surface. Link smiled, it was as good as new. When he tilted the shield again, he nearly dropped it from shock. Having caught her reflection on the shields surface Link turned to face Ilia, watching him with, what he assumed to be, something akin to concern…or maybe it was confusion.

"I-Ilia, I…"not knowing exactly what he should say, Link stood up nervously shifting his weight between his two feet. Illia smiled.

"Hey Link, I just came by to see how you were doing…Talo and Malo told me that you were doing chores, but I couldn't find you anywhere."

"Well, I went to Ordon spring and washed Epona down…and then I thought I might as well clean up down here, it is sort of unorganized-"

"Link?"

"Um, yes?" Ilia, who was simply smiling at him with that friendly smile that used to comfort him in a way that it no longer could, pointed down at his feet. Looking down Link noticed the green tunic that he had had on his lap only moments before, how could he have forgotten it? Link reached down to pick it up only to have her hand reach it first. He looked up to see her staring at the piece of clothing, her friendly smile gone to be replaced by a look of deep thought. He watched as she rubbed her thumb across the green material, feeling the texture of the cloth. She smiled again.

"You miss it, don't you?" he frowned.

"Miss what?"

"The adventure…running around and saving the day like every hero does." Link just watched her with a mixture of confusion and utter disbelief. He smiled at her reassuringly, or as reassuringly as he could without her figuring out it wasn't as real as he wanted to make it for her and took the cloth from her hands.

"Ilia, my time as a hero is over…I'm not needed like that anymore, the trolls and such have calmed down, Ganondorf has been defeated and Hyrule is peaceful…" as he spoke Link carefully folded the tunic making sure that not a thread was out of place. "My place is here, in Ordon and I know that…" turning from Ilia Link let the smile slip from his lips. "And…I'm happy here, I don't need the excitement of adventure to be happy…" smiling again Link looked over his shoulder at her, giving her his best 'don't-worry-I'm-okay' smile. Even though he knew that it was more than a little convincing, Link added; "I'm okay, I promise." He watched as the concern in her eyes shrank back into the depths of her mind, the worry gone completely. She laughed, more to herself than anything.

"Alright, if you say so Link. I trust you…I'm gonna go, father is probably worried sick about me." She waved to him before turning to the ladder, and climbing up. Link listened as she reached the top and left, closing the door with the slight squeak of the hinges. He waited a moment, making sure that she wasn't going to come back. Then Link picked up the shield and replaced it back into the chest, before closing the lid and replacing the lock, the tunic tucked under his arm.

He climbed the ladder back upstairs, and then climbed the ladder to his bed. Taking the tunic from under his arm Link pulled back his pillow and placed the tunic beneath it before flopping down on it, burying his nose into the pillow.

His sleep was sound that night, and his dreams were filled with fiery hair, blue skin, red eyes and that mischievous smirk that always got to him and always made him curious about what she was thinking. And he dreamed of the feeling of ground beneath his paws and the weight on his back and the little hands clutching to his fur as he tore across Hyrule fully eclipsed in twili.

He slept totally unaware, having unconsciously pulled the tunic out from under his pillow and cuddled into it in his sleep his nose pressed to the cloth, as he dreamed about his adventures across Hyrule, what he had gained during his journey, his ancestors belongings and friends alike. And what he had lost. He frowned in his sleep, burying his nose deeper into the soft material. The loss of a friend was a difficult thing to cope with…

Especially when you never got to say goodbye.

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**AN// Okay, first chapter is done. This is going to be a multi-chapter folks…and its definitely going to be LinkxMidna pairing, so don't go getting any ideas about LinkxZelda, I really cant stand it, but I get where you people who like that pairing are coming from it makes sense…doesn't mean I have to like it though. I have to say that I was kind of glad that she didn't really show up much in Twilight Princess, gave Midna some shine time. Gave another princess some time in the spot light for once! YAY MIDNA! *ahem***

**Anyhoo~ I know this chapter probably didn't make much sense at all, but if you don't get it you will hopefully when the I post the second chapter! **

**READ AND REVIEW! HUNGRY WRITERS NEED GOOD NUTRITIOUS REIVIEWS TO LIVE! lol**


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